Greg Turner cleared the way Friday as he marched down an aisle at Walmart on Graham-Hopedale Road.

“Watch out,” he said to anyone within earshot. “I’ve got a little policeman behind me.”

Well, not really, but it sure looked that way.

Turner, a retired Burlington Police staff sergeant who now works part time in the department’s crime prevention division, was one of dozens of officers who turned out for the annual COPS CARE toy shopping extravaganza.

It’s a Burlington Police Department event at least 25 years in the works where children from throughout the community are treated to a Christmas shopping spree. Each child is matched with an officer who serves as a personal shopping assistant.

The officers are also responsible for seeing the children don’t exceed their $100 spending limits – a task that can be more daunting than the most challenging of law enforcement endeavors.

Turner was paired with 5-year-old Chase Bowman – who was outfitted for the event in a miniature police officer’s uniform. Chase wore blue pants and a blue shirt with the word “Police” across its back. The shirt included a police patch on each sleeve.

“He calls himself a junior officer,” said Chase’s mother, Jacquelyn Bowman. “He wants to be a policeman when he grows up.”

She said her son – a kindergartner at Eastlawn Elementary – has for the past two years dressed for Halloween as a police officer. The opportunity to shop with an honest-to-goodness officer was a dream come true for her son, Chase’s mother said.

COPS CARE is funded by area merchants and individuals who contribute throughout the year to see that children are afforded a bit of Christmas.

Sgt. Mark Rascoe, who headed this year’s shopping spree, said the program has become so popular and been in existence so long that donations pour in pretty much year-round.

“A lot of people just provide their contributions,” Rascoe said. “We don’t even have to ask.”

A total of 75 children got the opportunity to go shopping Friday. In addition to the $100 in toys and more the children were allowed to select, their families were presented care packages that included food and other necessities. Officers said some of the children selected for inclusion might not have otherwise enjoyed much of a Christmas.

Officers also provided care packages for five elderly people. Better still, when delivering the gifts, officers spent a bit of time visiting with those senior citizens.

On Friday, Officer Scott Elliott accompanied 12-year-old Daniel Finger through Walmart. The first thing Daniel wanted was a watch.

“You want a digital watch, a fancy watch or an every day watch?” Elliott asked his charge.

Daniel mulled the question over for a moment before replying, “Every day.”

Page 2 of 2 - Sgt. Sam Epps accompanied 8-year-old Ethan Alverez, but the two didn’t have far to go. Ethan stocked up on $100 worth of Legos – a popular toy made of interconnecting plastic bricks.

“I kept trying to get him to go other places, but he kept coming back to the Legos aisle,” Epps said.